Latest Articles

Design and Manufacturing Perspectives from DISH Technology’s Les Beller

I recently interviewed Les Beller, a long-time PCB designer who is now a manufacturing engineer for DISH Technology. We discussed his company’s business shift towards 5G and streaming, and the stresses that puts on a design team. He also explains the greatest challenges that he’s facing with HDI and higher frequencies, and the added importance for designers to understand the manufacturing process and DFM tools.

LPKF Sees Increasing Use of UV Lasers

Julian Rose, product manager for the UV and stencil laser machines of LPKF, discusses with I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias the challenges in laser stencils and strategies and techniques to address them, and the increasing use of UV lasers.

Launching a Manufacturing Career Via an Apprenticeship

Deciding on the right career path within manufacturing, and the best route to take to make those dreams a reality, can sometimes seem a daunting prospect for young people considering their options. Joining apprenticeships combine the opportunity for on-the-job training with classroom learning, but exactly what you learn depends on the role you're training for.

RTW NEPCON China: Christian Koenen Stencil Technologies Ensure First Pass Yields

At the recent NEPCON China 2018 event in Shanghai, Michael Zahn, development manager for Christian Koenen GmbH, explains how stencil technologies can improve the solder paste printing process and ensure first pass yields.

3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing in PCBA

There are several materials that are available for 3D printing for various engineering uses. Various vendors offer over hundreds of different materials that are either specific to an application or to a specific desired characteristic. For this study, eight materials that are regularly used for engineering applications were evaluated and characterized to determine which can be used in PCB processes.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Indium's Brook Sandy-Smith on PMI-Squared

Indium Corporation's Brook Sandy-Smith discusses ionic process residues on PCB assemblies and introduces the concept of "PMI-squared" (process material interaction investigation), the topic of an IPC Technical Buzz Session at IPC APEX EXPO 2018.

The Survey Said: Industry Optimistic After Strong 2017

During recent trade shows and conferences, we spoke with a variety of fabricators and assembly providers. They had one thing in common: Every company achieved strong growth in 2017, and shared a positive outlook about the future. This year, the industry is optimistic, driven by positive economic outlook, growing customer demand, and new technologies and vertical markets, among others.

Combining Strengths Synergistically: PDS and Green Circuits

Power Design Services (PDS) and Green Circuits have just announced their merger. I-Connect007 Publisher Barry Matties recently sat down with Joe O’Neil and Matthew Becker of PDS, along with Ted Park of Green Circuits, to get the full scoop.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Inspection Technology Developments

Brian D'Amico, president of Mirtec Corp., speaks with I-Connect007 Technical Editor Pete Starkey about the challenges of miniaturization, increasing component density, and the shadowing of small components by taller ones, and how Mirtec has developed its inspection technology to ensure they remain at the leading edge.

Under the Hood: Solder Joint Reliability

It has been long established that packages using NSMD BGA pads were more resilient than ones with SMD pads to fatigue-induced solder joint cracks. However, NSMD pads in previous investigations on 292MAPBGA and 416PBGA packages failed sooner in AATS testing due to an alternate failure mode: substrate Cu trace cracks. This article looks into the effects of substrate material and package pad design on solder joint reliability of 0.8 mm pitch BGA.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Koh Young Discusses New Equipment and Data Challenges

Joel Scutchfield, Americas Sales Manager for Koh Young, discusses the company's latest inspection equipment and some of the challenges of providing customers the data they need for the real achievement of smart factory realization.

How to Secure a Place on an Electronics Manufacturing Graduate Scheme

The world of EMS is a fast-moving and technologically innovative sector that can offer a wide range of compelling career opportunities for new graduates. For those seeking a route into the electronics manufacturing industry, a graduate scheme can be hugely beneficial in gaining practical, first-hand experience of an EMS business across all its operations.

EDADOC: A Driving Force in China's Automotive Electronics Design

EDADOC is one of the biggest providers of PCB design and manufacturing services in China, with a long history in automotive electronics design and manufacturing. China Editor Edy Yu recently conducted an email interview with EDADOC R&D Technical Research Manager William Zhou and Brand Planning Specialist Wen Ling, who collaborated on their answers. We discussed the challenges related to designing and fabricating automotive PCBs, the opportunities in this segment, and the trends they see in the market for autonomous and electric vehicles.

Zestron Opens Technical Center in Taiwan

Zestron on Wednesday, May 16, launched a new technical center in Hsinchu, Taiwan. With the opening of this new technical center, the company now owns a total of eight globally linked technical support facilities throughout the world.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Michael Ford Speaks About Aegis' Role in CFX

At the recent IPC APEX EXPO 2018 trade show in San Diego, California, Michael Ford, European marketing director, discusses his work with Aegis Software and the reaction of attendees who witnessed the Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) demo.

RTW NEPCON CHINA: Mycronic Discusses Recent Acquisitions

At the recent NEPCON China 2018 event, Thomas Stetter, senior vice president for assembly solutions at Mycronic AB, speaks about the company's recent acquisitions and how it helped the company expand into different areas in the electronics assembly industry.

RTW NEPCON CHINA: OK International Highlights Need for Smarter Systems

At the recent NEPCON China 2018 tradeshow in Shanghai, Steven Fang, director of sales for Asia at OK International, speaks about the challenges their customers face when it comes to hiring skilled operators, which warrants the need for smarter systems and tools.

System-Driven Approach Ensures Automotive Electronics Assembly Success

In an interview with SMT007 Magazine, Mathieu Kury, business development manager at Asteelflash USA Corp., talks about the new challenges and customer requirements when it comes to automotive electronics assembly, trends driving the growth of the market, and where the industry is headed.

On Globalization and Standards

Like a language—English, Chinese, Hindi, German, Spanish, French—a standard builds a bridge between people. "If I make this sound, we both understand that it means this. If I write this symbol, we both understand that means that. If I perform this action, we both understand the gesture."

RTW NEPCON CHINA: Rehm Discusses Reflow Strategies to Reduce Voiding

At the recent NEPCON China 2018 event in Shanghai, Ralf Wagenfuehr, plant manager at Rehm Thermal Systems in China, speaks with I-Connect007’s Stephen Las Marias about their latest advancements in reflow oven technology, as well as on strategies to reduce voiding.

Vehicle Electrification: Disrupting the Automotive Industry and Beyond

Around the globe, governments are announcing mandates that will bring about the demise of the internal combustion engine. China has led the charge by requiring 8% of new vehicles on the road to be “new energy” or zero emission vehicles in 2018, up from the current 2–3% on the road today. Similar strong government regulations limiting the future of the internal combustion engine have passed around the world, and the importance and growth of the hybrid and fully electric automobile industry can’t be overstated.

Show & Tell: IPC APEX EXPO 2018 is on the Books!

I-Connect007's Happy Holden reviewed the recently concluded IPC APEX EXPO 2018. Among the highlights: Less than 10% of all new orders arrive at the PCB fabricator’s facility with complete, accurate design data. Most have missing or incorrect data.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Heraeus Discusses Developments at New Lab

Jim Wertin, technical sales manager at Heraeus Electronics, shares news about the company's latest product offerings, as well as its newly established application laboratory, which helps customers and potential customers resolve production issues and improve the quality of their products.

CFX: The Next Step Toward the Future of Factories

For the past two to three years, almost every exhibitor in almost every trade show focused on the electronics manufacturing industry has an "Industry 4.0 Compatible" sign in their booth. As of today, the best question to ask is, "Compatible with what?" There has really been no standard yet developed toward this goal, and Industry 4.0 has been just a buzz word.

Electronic Component Shortages are Real

The electronic component market is in poor shape (again) and the sooner you face this fact, the sooner you can put plans in place to mitigate the risk to your business. Electronic component shortages are once again causing OEMs and EMS providers a real headache. Here's a look at the current state of the market, and seven ways in which you can work closely with your EMS provider to make the best out of a bad situation.

How the Factory Ecosystem Positively Drives Exponential Value

In today's factories, the output must far exceed the accumulative performance of each machine to stay competitive. No machine or process is an island—they must form ecosystems. The trend towards extreme automation and the smart factory leads to ever more connectivity and interdependence.

What's the Scoop? APEX CFX Showcase

The IPC Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) demo at the recent IPC APEX EXPO 2018 trade show in San Diego, California, is a great example of industry collaboration. The CFX Showcase at APEX had 245,000 CFX website page views; 701,200 CFX messages transmitted; and 664.5 million bytes of data exchanged; and the whole thing was pulled together in a matter of weeks. Here's what the participants in the program have got to say.

SMT Renting: A Trend for the Future?

You may have heard the name Martin Ziehbrunner before: he cofounded the equipment company Essemtec AG in 1992. He left the company in 2013, and soon he'd cofounded another SMT company, but with a twist. SMT Renting specializes in renting SMT equipment with an operational lease, primarily for the European market. In this interview, he explains how his latest company is challenging the normal way of acquiring SMT capital equipment.

Solving Reliability and Thermal Management Challenges in Automotive Electronics

Paul Salerno, global portfolio manager for SMT assembly solutions at Alpha Assembly Solutions, discusses the growing automotive electronics industry, its impact on the soldering materials business, and how Alpha helps customers address the new challenges and requirements in the automotive market.

The Climate Change of Data

From a typical manufacturing standpoint, cloud storage is simply another way or place in which to put data. From a usage perspective, many see it as being no different from an on-site server or even the external hard disk on your laptop. Off-site cloud storage is vast and can easily be cost effective, requiring no maintenance or fixed overhead other than paying the service bills. There are, however, a couple of very important things to consider with cloud storage.

Poor Supply Chain Management Will Cost You Money

Supply chain management goes far beyond merely keeping track of all the SKUs currently on sale. It also means tracking the parts going into the products, since those parts are also potentially going to be used for post-sale support if necessary. If you can't trust your components to be legitimate and trustworthy, backed by a solid chain-of-possession, then every aspect of your electronics operation may be in jeopardy.

Industry 4.0 Concerns

The fastest way for manufacturers to achieve growth in a new world of industrial connectivity is to leverage new technologies. A transition to automated data and process management is irrefutable. But, while this heralds smart supply chains that bring enhanced agility, productivity and profitability, many are adopting a "wait and see" approach.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Mycronic Broadens Product Portfolio

Thomas Stetter, senior vice president of assembly at Mycronic, discussed with I-Connect007's Pete Starkey how their company continues to broaden their product portfolio towards a full-line SMT solution and the Industry 4.0 automated factory.

SHOW & TELL: Bringing STEM Students to IPC APEX EXPO for a View of the Industry

On the last morning of IPC APEX EXPO 2018, we met with Nancy Jaster, IPC design programs manager and one of the driving forces behind IPC’s STEM Outreach program for high school students. We spoke about the students who were arriving on site at IPC APEX EXPO, and what the industry, and IPC, hoped to achieve with this valuable program.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: MEK on Increasing Demand for THT AOI Systems

Henk Biemans, managing director of MEK Marantz Electronics Ltd, speaks with I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias about what's driving the increasing demand for THT AOI systems. Other topics discussed include reliability issues, articifial intelligence, and machine learning in inspection systems.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Nordson SELECT's Acquisition Update

Carlos E. Bouras, general manager of Nordson SELECT, discusses the acquisition of ACE Production Technologies and InterSelect GmbH one year later, along with the synergies between the two companies, and how they have strengthened Nordson SELECT's capabilities.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: CFX - The IPC Connected Factory Initiative

David Bergman from the IPC speaks with I-Connect007's Pete Starkey about how the CFX format has been developed, and the excited response to the CFX Visitor Experience at the IPC APEX EXPO 2018.

5 Ideas to Enhance the Induction Process in Manufacturing

While most of us work and live in an alternate reality, first impressions still count and your induction process is no different. Here are some ideas to consider implementing within your own manufacturing business when welcoming your new starters.

Investigating Analytical Tools for Testing Cleanliness with Foresite's Eric Camden

At the recent West Penn SMTA Expo, Eric Camden, lead investigator at Foresite Inc., speaks with I-Connect007's Patty Goldman about fluxes and analytical tools for testing cleanliness, and how these impact the reliability of the assembled boards.

Interview with Yusaku Kono: Rising Star Award Recipient

The IPC Rising Star Award is given to IPC members who have taken leadership roles and provided support to IPC standards, education, advocacy and solutions to industry challenges. Their contributions have made significant impact upon IPC and industry within the past five years and will continue to have a lasting impact for many years to come.

Succeeding at the Velocity of Technology: An IPC APEX EXPO 2018 Wrap-Up

After many months of planning, IPC APEX EXPO 2018 proved to be a success. From revolutionary advancements displayed on the show floor to expert insights conveyed in technical conference sessions and professional development courses, IPC APEX EXPO provided the learning and connections that helped 4,574 attendees from 43 countries prepare for the future.

Stencil Printing Techniques for Challenging Heterogeneous Assembly Applications

A new generation of near microscopic size SMT chip capacitors has appeared in the market, known as either 0201 or 008004. This article investigates and characterizes the stencil printing process for compatibility with M0201 capacitor assembly. Effects of circuit board quality, stencil thickness, and stencil nano-coating are evaluated against solder paste volume transfer efficiency and raw-volume print distribution.

How to Assess Top Talent when Recruiting for Key Manufacturing Roles

As your business continues to grow and evolve, gaps in talent can start to appear. And while growth is often seen as a sign of success, if you fail to manage growth correctly, it can quickly turn and bite you in a similar way to a business in decline.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Super Dry Tackles International Moisture Management Differences and Floor-Life-Reset Techniques

Rich Heimsch comments on the differences in attitude regarding moisture management between Europe and the U.S., and the increasing awareness of floor-life-reset techniques.

The Direction of Autonomous Driving

Flex (formerly Flextronics) is a company that I've worked with for decades, both as a customer and as a supplier. Recently, they were honored with Frost & Sullivan’s Manufacturing Leadership Award. I sat down with Eric Hoarau, the senior director managing automotive innovation at Flex, to discuss his company’s views on where autonomous driving technology is heading in the next 10 - 15 years.

Jan Pedersen: CircuitData Enhances Current Data Formats

During the Design Forum at IPC APEX EXPO 2018, Jan Pedersen, senior technical advisor for the PCB broker Elmatica, gave a presentation on CircuitData. The language is designed to help facilitate other design data transfer formats such as Gerber, ODB++, and IPC-2581. Jan spoke with Managing Editor Andy Shaughnessy and Contributing Technical Editor Happy Holden about how this open language works with the existing data formats, as well as the need to eliminate paper documents from design process, and how the industry can help shape this open-source language.

Conversations on the Floor: IPC APEX EXPO 2018

This year’s show was one of the best in recent history, both in attendance and enthusiasm. The exhibit floor was sold out, and every single person I talked to was extremely optimistic about business in 2018. What follows are a series of observations and excerpts from conversations I had with some of the most interesting people I met.

Automotive Electronics Still in the Driver’s Seat

The past year was one of the strongest years that the PCB supply chain and the rest of the electronics manufacturing industry in general, has seen. Everyone we talked to at the shows were optimistic that the strong growth in the industry in 2017 will continue through 2018. And most industry players point to one thing when it comes to what’s driving this strong growth—automotive electronics.

Creative Electron's Bill Cardoso on the iPhone 10 Teardown and Much More

At the recent West Penn SMTA Expo, Creative Electron CEO Bill Cardoso speaks with Patty Goldman about his presentation on the iPhone 10 teardown, and how this reflects the direction where contract manufacturers are headed. He also highlights what sets Creative Electron apart in the market.

The Evolution of Camtek Manufacturing

Chris Davis, president and founder of EMS firm Camtek Manufacturing, in Bloomington, Illinois, discusses with Dan Beaulieu what led her to not only start Camtek from the ground up, but also what it means for her business to be a certified women's business enterprise (WBE).

Interview with Bob Cooke: IPC President’s Award Recipient

IPC first began presenting the President’s Award in 1966, and for many years it was the only award bestowed on IPC volunteers, to several individuals each year. This year’s recipient is Bob Cooke with NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). Here's why he was bestowed this honor.

Why AOI is a Must-have for PCB Assembly

AOI has an invaluable role to play in speeding up the process of PCB production, in ensuring extreme precision to catch even the smallest of defects, and in minimizing the potential for time-consuming and costly reworking.

Interview with Linda Woody: Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award Recipient

The Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award is given to individuals who have fostered a collaborative spirit, made significant contributions to standards development, and have consistently demonstrated a commitment to global standardization efforts and the electronics industry. This year, Linda Woody is one of the two recipients of the award. Here's what she has to say.

Show & Tell: Corporate Awards Bestowed by IPC

Every year IPC recognizes two companies that have made significant contributions to IPC and the electronics industry. These awards are named after industry executives who were themselves significant and outstanding contributors: one for a PCB fabricator company and one for an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company. This year’s recipients were Northrop Grumman and Rockwell Collins, respectively.

Interview with Dave Hillman: IPC’s 2018 Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award Winner

A self-described "dinosaur" of the industry, Dave Hillman has been a steady force in all things solder-related at Rockwell Collins for 30 years. And just to keep things fresh, he has spent years mentoring both college-age and younger children. In this interview, I-Connect007’s Patty Goldman gives Hillman a chance to tell his story.

IPC APEX EXPO Takeaways

The IPC Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) live demo at this year's IPC APEX EXPO show in San Diego, California highlighted how the CFX standard will enable manufacturers to track their efficiencies better, prevent issues even before they happen, and make adjustments wherever needed.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: IPC Solutions Program—Transportation and Workforce Development Initiatives

Sanjay Huprikar, IPC's VP of solutions, discusses the IPC solutions program, including transportation and workforce development initiatives.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Miraco Company and Services Introduction

Miraco's current quality manager, William Pfingston, fills Guest Editor Steve Williams in on the company's contract manufacturing capabilities and services, including strengths in design and flex circuits. He also talks about the company's expansion and organizational changes.

Should You Outsource Your Outbound Logistics to Your EMS Partner?

Shipping your products to their end destination is the final stage in your manufacturing process and one which is crucial to the ongoing success of your entire manufacturing operation. After all, getting your product delivered on time, in the correct quantities, to the right people and in pristine condition all contributes to your customer’s first impression.

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: New Electrolube Developments and Improved Coatings

Electrolube's Phil Kinner discusses new developments in two-component polyurethane conformal coatings, and improved silicone coatings for high-temperature applications.
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